My Kind of Beer with Chris Goddard

My Kind of Beer with Chris Goddard

THE DARK SIDE

Give yourself to the dark side. It is the only way you can save your friends.

Dark beers may scare you — they used to scare the hell out of me too — but ask yourself the following questions:
Do you like coffee?
Do you like chocolate?
You see, dark beers can be a bit of a chameleon because there’s just so much stuff in them. Outside of a whole host of different malted barley and hops you also get added spices, sometimes fruit and a lot of the time chocolate and coffee. Some beers have some much of the latter that you may even wonder where the “beer” is!

I think even the pickiest beer drinker will not only find a hidden gem but a new favourite beer.

CHOCOLATE/ESPRESSO: Flying Monkeys The Chocolate Manifesto — This is quite literally a beer version of coffee and chocolate dessert. This diabetes in a bottle is a definitely best enjoyed with another coffee/chocolate fan. It is possibly one of the richest, chocolatiest beers I’ve ever had in my life.

CHOCOLATE/CRANBERRIES: Muskoka Winter Beard a Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout — I’ve personally never been one of those people that has to have cranberries, one of Muskoka’s signature crops, with their Thanksgiving or Christmas turkeys but if I had to have cranberries make mine Winter Beard. The chocolate dominates the flavour but the cranberries still shine through. A seasonal favourite of mine.

PURE MILK CHOCOLATE: Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout — Some of us go to the trouble of sourcing organic foods and we shouldn’t have to bend the rules when it comes to dark beer. This stout smells like milk chocolate and it pretty much tastes like milk chocolate too. If you aren’t sure about sipping a dark beer — start here!

AFTER DINNER DRAM: New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk — After dinner I like to retire to relax and sip on a glass of whisky. Dragon’s Milk is made in bourbons barrels so that counts in my books. Hints of vanilla peek through the dark malt and are supported by a nice, smooth bourbon finish. This is only available in small quantities at the LCBO so get it before it’s gone!

AFTER DINNER COFFEE: Forked River Full City Coffee Porter — If you aren’t having bourbon or whisky after dinner then perhaps coffee is more your style. Forked River’s Full City Coffee Porter uses locally roasted, fresh coffee beans in their brew. The coffee is the star of the show but there are subtle hints of chocolate in there. I’m not complaining at all.